There is no effing way I'd put a number on the deck of my boat that was visible from the air. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Not sure why I'm on this thread though, I don't even like seafood! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

Since the government issued us 4 licenses for our upcoming trip, I'm assuming Dream Yacht Charters registered all of their boats?

I suspect they have not since the owners have to do it and they operate more on the Moorings business model. I would contact them directly.
G

my friend who has a boat in SunSail hasn't heard anything about a fishing license for her boat. She was incredulous when I told her about the licensing last night

Well we can all try to pretend to be incredulous and indignant. The legal reality as any boat that fished since 1997 was required to fill out the forms and pay the registration fees for the vessel each year. Hopefully the Charter Operators Roundtable or whoever leads the yachting lobbying effort is focused on the bigger challenge. The budget plan going forward is to....

Our expectations are, that in combination with the measures taken, we are projecting total additional revenue of Twenty-Six point Two ($26.2M) Million Dollars.

"We further intend to, introduce an environmental levy and to harmonise the existing fee and tax structure for hotels and yachts, to review and revise the current marine fee structure by consolidating existing fees and creating a collection system that is fair and easy to monitor." Premier and Minister for Finance Dr. the Hon. D. Orlando Smith

The stated plan to charge hotel operator and boat operators the same marginal tax rate of revenue is a much greater long term issue than the fishing fees most of us have been avoiding. The Moorings/Sunsail/TUI would be the largest historic offender. Then there is the Tsunami from the secret banking industry. The BVI operates on +/-$300M. The secret banking industry creates $200M of that. Those $$$,$$$,$$$ are at risk this week and may disappear. My point is be careful what we complain about and focus on the rational practical solutions to pay our fair share going forward. The hotel or sleep tax in the USVI was was to 12.5% in January.

Storm, I know you have your opinion on this but I have spoken at lenght with people in discussion on this issue with the government. The law passed in 1997 was intended and only enforced for commercial fishing operations. If you were recreationally fishing and stopped by the bvi authorities they only required that you have the recreational license. If you read the entire law it's obvious it was not intended for pleasure boats.
They have changed and issued a new interpretation of that law. It was done hastily with little notice.
No one fishing of a pleasure boat prior to 1 Apr with a valid personal fishing license was in violation of the law. I suspect you will also find a change in the new law happens shortly as they realize the requirements are nearly impossible to meet for a pleasure vessel.
G

For the record what I wanted and could not sell was and still is a simplified cruising fee that covered everything the BVI wants visiting yachtsman or charters to do. Moor, anchor in designated areas, fish....whatever is permissible. It looks like we will now get some of that in three taxes or fees. A very large increased tax on boat rentals, a cruising head tax, an enviromental levy.... There is no signal where the fishing fees will be collected going forward and who will get that cash. The truth is some registered their boats to fish and some did not in the past even though their was no enforcement against BVI based charter boats. The BVI boat operators need a very wise strategic lobbying effort here. Outrage over the announcement fishing registration for hulls will now be enforced is not strategic or wise.

I think being a US owner (I am not one) leaves only frustration and a helpless feeling with the new interpretation of the pleasure fishing boat license. How can one owner have any say? Someone above mentioned who would be liable for a guest fishing on a non-licensed charter? Would the boat owner be fined/ or boat impounded? Would the fisherman be fined?

What next a license for guests to sleep on board? A license to use mooring balls? And they could decree license fee for all this and more. If it is true the off-shore banking industry is impacted by the Panama Papers we could see some desperate reaches by the BVI government.

Is there a lobby of charter fleet operators? Is there a lobby for boat owners?

What happens when Cuba courts the charter boat companies and flights are direct from US hubs?

I think many of the "pillars" of the BVI economy are cracking. Going to be plenty of new fees and increases in old ones.

During 2003 the BVI Fishing Police went out to North Drop and arrested several vessels for fishing without the boat being properly registered or people fishing aboard without a licence. Some were US mainland private boats, one was a PR Boat, and the Black Pearl a USVI based boat on a Marlin charter fishing trip was given the hardest time $45K when it was finally settled. Then again in 2007 the PoPo went out and stop a couple from the USVI for fishing without proper boat registration and individual fishing licenses. That guy Baker a retired lawyer and cop from VA. Spent weeks in the prison. In every case I can think of the boat is confiscated until the matter is settled or suitable bond posted. When the fisherman had more than 30lbs of fish aboard the crime was raised to commercial fishing and the operators where never given the boat back. The process and fines are not that different than if you are caught failing to clear customers and immigration or using the waters without cruising permits. Sometime you get lucky and get a warning. Other times the boat gets locked up and crew brought before a judge to sort it out. As the BVI modernizes the fees for marine activities. Some may try to hide and operate out of the USVI. Watch for few more of the USVI boats to get persecuted as examples repeating 2003 and 2007. If one of the BVI fleets causes a stink and publicly refuses to register the fleet for non commercial fishing. Watch for a couple of boats from that fleet to be made an example of. No matter what jurisdiction you are in. The owner and captain is responsible for anything illegal that happens on their boat. Drugs are the clearest example. If you read any bareboat contract. Whatever happens on your week is your problem financially and you are accountable to keep paying the rent and damages until you bring the boat back. To your friend the boat owner. Have her read all the terms that her customers sign on to with her. Look for new agreements or addendums declaring NO FISHING.

There is not a single boat legally fishing in the BVI today. None have the required markings and when I spoke with the girl issuing licenses she stated the boat license is only valid with the required markings. The law the BVI simply copied from other countries is intended for large commercial fishing operations on big boats. Those large factory boat operations are policed by air. Most of the local BVI based fishing boats don't even have a radio onboard let alone their call sign painted in letters big enough to read from the air!
G

This is another of those half baked rule enforcements like last year's ban on flares and this year's $1/ft harbor usage fees that will probably be recended once sanity recovers.

If I had not read about this change on TTOL, I wouldn't know anything has changed. I went through the same procedure I have for the last 5 or 6 years. E-mail the form to the BVI government, with my credit card information. They charged my credit card and issued me a license. In fact they issued us 4 license.

They never made any mention about the boat I was on needing to be licensed too. I know ignorance is no excuse, but don't you think they should have mentioned this to me?

Yea, well, sort of.... Until you think it all the way through. It is the responsibility of each boat owner to determine and take the nessessary steps to register each hull if the owner wants to allow fishing. Some owners have been taking that step for years, others are in the process now, some may be fighting and protesting, others sitting on the sidelines and waiting. In your case and the case of many others you are holding an annual fishing license in search of a matching boat to attached that license to. Just like the owners are clear about sailing at night and drugs in the boat. Each owner and operator should be clear about fishing and the limits on fishing if there are any. In my case I had no idea about the 30lb possession limit.

I knew about the 30#'s limit, it says it right on the license. However the license says nothing about having to fish from a registered fishing boat.

I assume fishing from shore without a license is still legal or is that just a myth that I've heard repeatedly?

Yes it's still legal to fish from shore without a license.

Just talked to the Moorings about fishing. Their boats are not licensed to fish and will not be in the foreseeable future. You cannot fish from the boat, dingy, or kayak. The person I talked to said all the charter companies got together and are not getting the license it's up to the boat owners. You will be able to fish from the shore and docks but not from anything floating on the water. This isn't good news for me I was looking forward to the fishing being part of the trip.